With Mike Dunham giving so much credit to goaltending consultant Sam St. Laurent for the dramatic improvement in his play, it’s pertinent to wonder whether the Rangers would be better served by having St. Laurent with the club on a full-time basis, rather than on the current, part-time schedule under which he operates.

“I’m not so sure that would be the case,” Dunham, who made his sixth straight start last night in Montreal, said at the beginning of the week. “Sam is available by phone at any time, he’s easy to talk to, and I do speak to him whenever I feel the need.

“And while it’s true that I get more done when he’s with the team, I think there’s a real value to him not seeing me every day, so that any changes in my technique are more readily detected if he’s away for a couple of weeks at a time. Even in your everyday life, you tend not to be as aware of certain changes in someone’s physical appearance if you’re around them on a day-to-day basis.

“I like the fact that there’s some distance, though if the team thought it was beneficial to have a full-time goaltending coach I certainly wouldn’t object.”

St. Laurent is employed full-time by the Rangers, but spends much of his time working with the younger goaltenders within the organization and scouting potential prospects. The Rangers have never had a full-time goaltending coach on their staff.

After suffering through a nightmarish six-week stretch that coincided with his return from his mid-November hip flexor, Dunham has gotten his game back in order. He’s been technically sound, economical in his movement, and confident in squaring up to, and challenging, shooters. He’s also been agile and quick, capable of making the spectacular stop – as he did last Saturday by diving across the crease to deny the Islanders’ Roman Hamrlik – as well as the routine one.

“The time I had off, the time I spent working with Sam, it allowed me to break everything down and get back to the basics,” Dunham said. “The game is so demanding when you’re playing night in and night out, a refresher course like I went through is very valuable.

“There’s a very fine line between success and failure in this position. Every day, it’s an ongoing process.”

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The Rangers, who have a home-and-home with the Bruins in Boston tomorrow afternoon and then back at the Garden the following night, are scheduled to practice at Harvard today on Mark Messier’s 43rd birthday . . . Tuesday is Retro ’70s Night at the Garden, with the team wearing the logo uniforms in which the Rangers played in 1976-77 and 1977-78 that were commissioned by GM John Ferguson . . . Chris Simon returned from a two-game suspension and replaced Chad Wiseman in last night’s lineup.